Build a Website - part 2 (Click here for part 1)

JAVASCRIPT

What is javascript?

Javascript is great. It is a client-side scripting language, a simple programming language that allows you to perform functionality within the browser that your website is being displayed in.

What can you do with it?

One common use of javascript is to show an error or warning message to the user if they enter some invalid data or perform some prohibited act, e.g. Please do not click on this.

Another use could be to update an order form with the total price as the user enters how many of a product they wish to purchase, e.g.

Tutorial

After you have some experience with HTML/XHTML and CSS, do this javascript tutorial and be sure to look at the examples that they give.
http://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp

PHP

What is PHP?

PHP (PHP Hypertext Processing) is a server-side scripting language, a programming language that is specifically designed for creating dynamic web pages. By dynamic, I mean that the content is built on-the-fly on the server before being sent back to the browser where you see it.

What can you do with it?

You can run some PHP code on the server to check what time of day it is and then show a relevant greeting on the web page. You could show 'Good morning' if the time is before noon, 'Good afternoon' from noon to 6.00pm and 'Good evening' from 6.00pm to 12 midnight.

In fact I have run this code and am saying Good Morning to you as it was 4.18hrs when this web page was requested by you. In 7 hours and 42 minutes, this greeting will become Good Afternoon.

The current time (4.18hrs) and the number of hours and minutes until the greeting next changes (7 hours and 42 minutes) were determined with PHP on the webserver before the page was sent to you. If you refresh this page in a minute or two, you will see that these times will change. They will always be current because PHP, as mentioned above, is building the page on-the-fly.

PHP gives you tremendous flexibility and freedom to be very specific about what you send to the browser and can also interact with databases, which makes it a very powerful tool in the world of e-commerce

Tutorial

After you have some experience with HTML/XHTML, CSS and javascript, do this PHP tutorial.
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp

DOMAIN NAMES

When your web site is ready, you will need a domain name that visitors can use to find your site, e.g. the domain name www.livewyre.net finds this site.

Check availability of the domain name that you want.

How do I buy or register a domain name?

There are lots of companies that will register domain names for you. The cost varies widely from £10 or less for two years to hundreds of pounds depending on the name and the extension (.com domain names tend to be more expensive than .net domain names).

CHEAP HOSTING

Click for our cheap web hosting page...

FTP

Coming soon.

SUMMARY

HTML/XHTML, CSS, javascript and PHP are all free. There are no costs involved and no reason not to give it a go and see how you get on with it. Remember that the only way to learn how to build a website is to do it. Do the tutorials and then think of a project to get stuck into, and enjoy.  
 
Article by John Wells  return to part 1...
August 2007  

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